Folding machine



Dec. 28, 1926. 1,612,428

F. S. GLINES FOLDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 28. 1922 1%? 0871503 gm 5. 1M'M Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

STATES FREDERICK S. GLINES, OF

LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LORENZ IVI'UTHER, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOLDING IvIACHINE.

Application filed October 28, 1922.

This invention relates to folding machines, and more particularly to the type of folding machine shown in an application filed by me jointly with Lorenz Muther in the United States Patent Office on July 24, 1922, Serial No. 576,965.

The main object of the invention'is the provision in a folding machine of a pressing member which is adjustable in a line substantially transverse to the normal line of feed of the machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a fold turner or plow which'is resilient and yielding in order to permit bulky portions of the Work to pass underneath the folding or turning surface without strain.

Other objects of the invention will be more specifically set forth and described hereinafter.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a rear side elevation of the opera tive end of a folding machine of the type shown in said application hereinbefore referred to; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the pressing means on line 3-3 in Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of a turner or plow embodying my invention.

In the drawings, indicates a lower arm and 16 an upper arm of the machine, 19 a lift shaft, 20 a feed-bar and 21 a cooperating idler roll. The feed-bar 20 is u'iounted in a housing 22 which is secured to a feed-shaft not shown whereby a for ward and backward movement is imparted to the feed-foot 24L formed on the lower end of the feed-bar when the feed-shaft is rocked. The feed-bar is moved'up and down in the housing 22 through the rocking of tie lift-shaft 19 by means of an arm 25 fixed on the end of said lift-shaft and suitable connections with a spli collar 28 secured to the upper end of the feed-bar 20 which is held in a lowermost position by a spring 30. The idler roll is loosely mounted on a screw stud 32 set in the end of the lower arm.

By the foregoing means the feed-foot is given a four-motion feed. In its forward movement, it is in a lowermost position, cooperating with the idler roll to feed the material. At the end of the feeding movement, the rocking of the lift-shaft 19 through the medium of the arm 25 and con- Serial No. 597,507.

nections lifts the feed-bar torelease the material, and the feed-bar remains in an elevated position during its backward motion, at the end of which it is dropped into its initial position. The material is thereby fed in a step-by-step manner.

F or guiding the material to be bound a guide bar 35 having its lower end formed with a guiding edge is slidably mounted in bearings 37 and 38 on a bracket 39 secured to the upper arm in such position that the guide-bar is held in a depending position over the work, the guiding edge being adapted to engage the edge of the material above the tape or binding material. A split block 40 is adjustably mounted on the guide-bar 35 and secured thereto, and a helical spring 43 mounted on the guide-bar 35 and abutting the upper bearing 37 and the split block -10 tends to hold the guide-bar in a downward position, with the split block 40 in engagement with the lower bearing 38. The split block40 may be provided with a bandle 4st for raising the guide-bar 35 out of operative position, and the bracket 39 may be provided with a recess d6 adapted to receive the end 27 of the split block, so that by turning the block into said recess the guide-bar is held out of operative position. It maybe restored to engagement with the material by throwing the split block 10 out of the recess and allowing the spring 43 to force the guide-bar downwardly. This arrangement permits the guide-bar to be placed in aninoperative position at any time and for so long a time as may be desired. The guide bar may be adjusted vertically by releasing the block 40, changing its position on the guide-bar and 1'6fflSt611 ing it in adjusted position.

A work-support having a bevelled edge 51 toward the operator is mounted upon the end of the lower arm 15, and upon the side toward the operator is arranged stationary means for wiping over orstraightening out the tape in a direction away from the material as the work is fed through the machine. The wiper is in the form of a thin plate 53, having a portion 54 bent under the bevelled portion 51 of the work plate, and is provided with a turned-up, sli 'htly hooked-over, thin edge 55; this edge eing oblique to the normal line of feed. The

edge runs from left to right and is adapted to be engaged by the tape; the sharp edge Hill - face 59 the ta )e as it leaves the wi oer 7 For pressing down the turned-over tape upon the reverse side of the material to bound, 1 provide a n'esser-arm 60 carrying a presser 62. The presser arm 60 is fixedly mounted on a lever 65, secured thereto by a screw 66, and held against rotation thereon by a pin 67. The presser arm may be made integral with the lever 65, if desired. This lever is provided with a shaft 68, loosely mounted in a bearing formed on the upper arm, and is arranged to oscillate therein.

Secured in the perpendicular portion of the lever 65 is a threaded screw 72 adapted.

to be held in adjusted position by a check nut 73 and bearing at its end 75 against a block 76, set in an arm 77, fixedly mounted on the end of the lift-shaft 19. Through the medium of these aarts, the lever 65 is rocked by the oscillation of the lift-shaft 19 to raise and lower the presser arm d presser member, and the machine is so timed that the presser member is down between the feeding movements and elevated during the feeding movements. To hold the lever 65 in the position shown in Fig. l with the spring 7 abutting the block 76, a spring set in a hollow screw 81 bears against the upper portion of the lever 65. The screw is threaded through an arm 83 forming a part of the upper arm 16 of the machine, and the pressure exerted upon the lever 5 by the spring 80 may be adjusted by turning the screw 81 one way or the other.

All of the foregoing construction is fully shown and described in said joint application hereinbefore referred to to which reference may be had for a more complete description of said construction and of its functions and mode of operation.

The novel features of my invention reside, first, in the means provided for supporting the plow in a yielding position, and seconcly, in making the presser 62 adjustable in a direction substantially transverse to the nor mal line of feed. The first of these novel features consists in mounting the plow 58 upon a resilient plate 91 provided with a slot 92 whereby it may be secured adjustably to the work-support 50 by a. headed screw 93. The plow may be either attached to the plate 91 or made integral therewith. Preferably the work support is provided with a recess adapt-ed to receive the plate 91 so that its top surface is flush with the top surface of the work-support. In consequence of this construction, the plow may yield upwardly to a slight extent to permit thickened portions of the work such as seams and the like to pass underneath the nose 9% of the plow without straining or dragging the material. This is a distinct advantage because the distance between the under side of the nose of the plow and the work-support is so short that thickened portions of the material are apt to catch and stretch the material frequently causing the pressed down binning to be pulled away from the reverse side of the material. This diuiculty is entirely obviated by providing a resilient support for the plow.

The second feature of my invention consists in making the shaft (58 upon which mounted the presse arm (30 and lever 65 adjustable longitudinally in the hearing 'ZO so that the prcsser 62 may be adjusted in a direction transverse to the normal line of feed. rrhelical spring 95 is mounted on the shaft 68 between the bearing 70 and the lever 67 and on the other end of said shaft is mounted a nut 96 by means of which the shaft 68 may be moved longitudinally in one direction or the other and locked in said adjusted position by a set nut 97. Upon the end of the shaft is mounted a short arm 98 provided with a hole 99 .to which may be attached a chain connected to a foot-treadle so that the presser arm 60 may be raised whenever desired.

By making the presser arm 60 and presser 62 adjustable, the machine may be adapted to folding binding of various widths. he press-er 62 is recessed on its pressing surface between the foot 63 and the main body of the presser which recess permits the folded over binding on convex curves of small radii to form naturally into pleats and the main body of the presser completes the pressing of these pleats. Tn folding wide binr'iing if the presser is too close to the plow there is a tendency for the binding to be crowded and creased between the plow and the recessed portion of the presser which prevents the binding being folded smoothly upon the reverse side of the material. Thi diificuly is entirely obviated by moving the press-.r arm and presser further away from the plow to suit the width of the binding through the adjustment described.

Although I have shown my invention as applied to one type of folding nachine, it is not to be restricted to that particular type since it is susceptible of application to folding machines generally.

What I claim is:

1. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding material having a binding attached to one edge thereof, means for turning said binding in a reverse direction around the edge of said material, said means ill) ill-3 being normally stationary but being capable of yielding in an upward direction to permit seams and thickened portions of the work to pass thereunder and means for pressing said binding upon the reverse side of said material.

2. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding material having a binding tape attached to one edge thereof, a plow for turning said tape around the edge of said material, said plow being capable of yielding in an upward direction to permit thickened portions of the work to pass thereunder without straining, and means for pressing said turned-over tape down upon the reverse side of said turned-over material. f

3. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding material having a binding tape attached to one edge thereof, a plow for turning said tape around the edge of said material, said plow being mounted upon a resilient plate to permit yielding in an upward direction, and means for pressing said turnedover tape down upon the reverse side of said material.

4. In a folding machine, a combination of means for feeding material having a binding tape attached to one edge thereof, means for turning said tape around the edge of said material and means for pressing said turnedover tape down upon the body of said material; said pressing means being pivotally mounted on a shaft which is longitudinally adjustable.

5. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding material having a binding tape attached to one edge thereof, means for turning said tape around the edge of said material, a loosely mounted shaft, a pressing member fixed on said shaft and means for locking said shaft in any longitudinally adjusted position.

6. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding material having a hint ing tape attached to one edge thereof, means for turning said tape around the edge of said material and pivotally mounted means for pressing said turned-over tape down upon the reverse side of said material; said pressing means being' adjustable on its pivot axis ina direction longitudinally of its pivotal axis and transverse to the normal line of feed.

7. In a folding machine, the combination of feeding means, and fold-turning means normally stationary but resiliently mounted to permit it to yield in an upward direction to permit thickened portions of the work to pass thereunder without straining and fold pressing means.

8. In a folding machine, the combination of feeding means, fold-turning means, and pivotally mounted fold pressing means; said fold pressing means being adjustable longitudinally of its pivoted axis and transverse to the normal line of feed.

9. In a folding machine, the combination of feeding means, fold-turning means normally stationary but resiliently mounted to yield in an upward direction to permit thicker portions of the work to pass thereunder, saidfold-turning means being adjustable in a direction transverse to the nor mal line of feed, and fold-pressing means.

10. In a folding machine, the combination of feeding means, a plow normally stationary but resilientlymounted to permit it to yield in an upward direction when required to allow thicker portions of the work to pass thereunder, said plow being adjustable in a direction transverse to the normal line of feed, and fold-pressing means.

11. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding material having a binding tape attached to one edge thereof, a plow for turning said tape around the edge of said material, said plow being normally stationary but resiliently mounted to permit yielding in an upward direction when thicker portions of the work pass thereunder, and being adjustable longitudinally and in a direction transverse to the normal line of feed, and means for pressing said turned-over tape down upon the reverse side of said material.

12. In a folding machine, the combination of means for feeding material to be folded, an elongated plate having its longitudinal axis perpendicular to the normal line of feed and being adjustably mounted at that end removed from said feeding means, said plate being resilient to permit its free end to be moved upwardly under pressure, foldturning means mounted on the free end of said plate and fold-pressing means.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand this 20th day of October, 1922.

FREDERICK S. GLINES. 

